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SINGAPORE – In her Primary 5 and 6 classes, an English language teacher, 45, has been using artificial intelligence over the past three years to help her pupils write better compositions. <\/p>\n
Called SchoolAI, the AI-powered educational platform is able to guide her pupils, prompting them with questions to think creatively as they dig deeper into character dilemmas and plot twists, before they put pen to paper. <\/p>\n
Singapore teachers like her have been experimenting with different AI teaching assistants or other tools to help in learning, amid growing attention on the role of AI in education.<\/p>\n
In primary schools, however, this has been met with some uncertainty as parents of younger children remain cautious about the potential effects of introducing these tools too early. <\/p>\n
Education Minister Desmond Lee had said earlier in 2026 that AI will be gradually introduced from Primary 4.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n This is done under close supervision and \u201clow exposure\u201d, with priority given to learning the fundamentals, he said at the ST Education Forum on April 1.<\/span><\/a> <\/p>\n Shortly after, Ms Liew Wei Li, director-general of education at the Ministry of Education (MOE), addressed parental concerns in a LinkedIn post, assuring them that guard rails are in place.<\/p>\n Schools use specially selected AI tools with specific features for learning tasks and only with teacher supervision for this age group on the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS), she said. SLS is an online learning portal by MOE for use in schools. <\/p>\n As AI becomes increasingly pervasive, she said it is better if schools teach pupils to use AI well \u201crather than leave it to chance and the open internet\u201d.<\/p>\n Ms Liew added that pupils learn how AI works and how to use it responsibly, along with why the process of learning, which includes struggling and persevering, is important. <\/p>\n The English language teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the AI tool she uses does not give pupils answers, but uses probing questions and suggestions to guide their learning. She refers to this process as Socratic questioning. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about getting into the habit of thinking. The AI won\u2019t write the story for them, but it prompts them to ask if this is the choice the character would make, and add layers to the story,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The tool also flags those who are struggling or going off-task, allowing the teacher to intervene where she is needed most. <\/p>\n \u201cThis tool is like an assistant that can have conversations to guide pupils as they generate ideas for their stories, because it\u2019s not practical for me to do it one to one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Pupils like this interaction as they get instant feedback while developing their storyline, instead of having to wait for her to mark their work. <\/p>\n Considered an early adopter of such technology, she said her school\u2019s focus for professional development for teachers this year is AI literacy. <\/p>\n When asked if she informs parents about the AI tools she uses during lessons, she said she has not done so, but believes the children have told them. <\/p>\n Parents who were interviewed said they are unsure if their children use AI in school, though they are not entirely closed off to the idea if safeguards are in place. <\/p>\n